hickey



1m 25, 1929. J, P ,.CKEY 1,718,234

BUILDING- STRUCTURE Filed Sept. 4, 1924 3 Sheets-Sheet l 'WY 73 7.? /i 20 20 x. BY z IIE* l 79 f2 a il ATTORY.

June 25. 1929. J. P. HlcKe-.Y

BUILDING STRUCTURE Filed Sept. 4, 1924 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR.

` ATTORNEY.

June 25, 1929. J, P, HlcKEY 1.718.234

BUILDING STRUCTURE Filed Sept. 4, 1924 3 Sheets-Sheet 5 A TTORNE Y.

(iti

Patented June 25, 1929.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

JOHN P. HICKEY, OF NEW YORK, N. Y., ASSIGNOR, BY 1VIIE',:":1\1".1'J` ASSIGNMENTS, TO JAMES M. CRANK, OF NEW' YORK, '.N. Y.

BUILDTNG STRUCTURE.

Application filed September 4, 1924. Serial No. 735,856.

This invention relates to lniiltlinge, and more particularly to Structural elements con-l stituting movable closures forming Apart oit exterior or interior walls, partitions, doors, windows4 and Skylights, although the improvementeK may be utilized in any field for which they are adapted by their nature.

An important object ot this invention ifs `to provide euch a movable closure o'l' tleX- ible` material with means to clamp it tirmly alone; one or more of its mai-eins in posi tion Vto occupy that portion ot the wall or other structure where it to nerve as; a rlofulre, the terni closure" not beingomployed in a. reetricted technical .eenen to iudieate a weather-excluding structural clement, as the novel closure structure may he either completely or partiallyr weather-e cluding, and opaque or light-t 'anemitting ae occasion may require.

Another important object of this invention to provide a serieu of such movable closures, combined in extended relation with each other in Such a manner as to constitute the wall of a building, or a Substantial portion thereof, with clamping moana provided to hold the respective sections in place by engagement therewith around their margine.

Still another object ot the .invention ie to :provide a iframe work of telescopic structure with marginal means to hold :said movablel closures, so that the manutactiu'cr thoreoi1V may Stock a seriee` of sizes oi' standard lengths or widths, each ot the ueriee beingr capable of sufiicieut telescopic adjustment to permit their application tor closure ot spares varyino' somewhat 'from the nearest @unee ard dunenuion, thus making it possible to fit readily such 'wall apertures as 'windows or doorways without the necessity tor cuttinaor making other mechanical, alterationex in the tranicwmli or clamping' members, and also permitting the installation ot the appliH :mee au a unitary Structure by the use of only ordinary tools, Such as a `serendriver.

ltet'errinzgr to the drawings:

Figure 1 is a vertical Section of a structure embodying this invention.

Figure 2 a i'raguientary horizontal ecction on the line Qf-2 ot' Figure 1.

Figure 3 iS a front elevation of a n'ioditied structure.

Figure 4t is a vertical section on the line lr-#tof Figure 3.

Figure 5 is a detail View iu .raide elevation on an enlarged scale, looking in 'the direction oit the arrow 5 in Figure 8.

Figure 6 a horizontal. Section on the line G-( o'f' Figure Figure 7 is a. detail view on a larger Scale in vertical Section on the line 7--7 ot Figure 3.

Figure 8 is a fragmentary, detail view in Side elevation, on a larger Scale, taken in the direction ot the arrow 8, Figure 3.

Figure 9 is aviow in front elevation et a modi lication.

Figure 10 is a vertical section ot the appliance chown in Figure t), isolated.

Figure, 11 is a fragmentary detail view o'lI Vthe lower lett-hand corner thereof.

Figure l2 ie a :fragmentary detail view in htufizontal Section on the line 12-12 of Figure 10.

Figure 18 is; a 'fragmentary View in vertical Section, similar to the lower portion ot Figure 10, but lool-:ing` in the opposite direc tion,

In the embodiment ot this invention ecleeted for illustration and 'lescription in Figure 1, the parts designated bythe rei"- erence characters 11 and 12 are upright metal .estructural nien'ibers, respectively et "i" section and L Section, joined by horizontal ine/tal n'ieinberu 13 and ,ifi ot l.. section, to .torni a 'tramework which may be considered af; part oi. the Hide-wille et a bungalow, 'which may bc entirely constructed .in like `fashion to thc portieri illustrattul, which comprises a completo Side panel ad jacent to the corner; also a fragment of an adjoining Side panel 1G, in elevation; and eliowra in section the adjoiningv end panel 17.

In each panei is Shown a flexible cloeure member 1S, preferably of waterproof teX-` tile fabric, either metal or cloth, carried by conventional rollen,4 19 journalled at 2t) in tixtureu mounted on the wolof; 21 ot the rertical members 11, and at 22 in fixtures; on webs 23 "forming part olf the corner structure :formed by the vertical members i2.

In accordance with this invention, l provide eloniuited, L-Shaped clampingl members `i241- and 25 overlapping 'the lateral margins ot the tlexibe closure .members 18, to hold the latter against dieplzwemont, these clamping members being supported on the webs 21, 23 and 17 respectively and actuated by levers 2G 'which are mounted ouy bolts or scgzrewe .2? eeeur il., to the w te, the if.,

having cam-portions 28 which engage the clamping members 24E and 25 and iiorce the same toward the vertical flanges ot the members ll, 23 and 17 when the levers 26 are turned into the position illustrated, whereby the clamping members are caused to grip the lateral margins oit' the closure members '8.

There desirable, separately formed iintures 2) may be secured to the liramcworlrto support the cam-levers, and in general their structure may be modiiied to meet conditions found in use. They are preferably slotted, as shown at 30 in Figure 5, to permit a slight play on the posts 27. y

It will be understood that this invention is not limited to use in connection with closure members ot open mesh fabric or other Ventilating construction, and I have shown in Figure 1 closure portions 178 which may be considered to be iormed o t flexible, closely woven material, such as canvas, so as to be weathcr-prooif, the same being wound upon rollers l2) at the bottom oit thc Vframework. These rollers may be carried by liz-tures 22 similar in every respect to those already described, and bearing the same reference characters so that special description thereof is not necessary, and clamping members are shown also bearing reference characters Vlike those already described.

Ars a matter oli convenience, where it is desired to use beth `forms of closure in the same panel, they may be joined as indicated at 3l and provided with an operating handle 31a, so that half the window can be ventilating and the other halt of weather-proof material or, iii' desired, the closure may be so operated as to utilize the Ventilating material for the entire panel, or weather-proof material for the entire panel, as indicated at the right-hand side of Figure l. When rollers are thus provided at the top and bottom, they are preferably made o't the wellknown spring type, in order to keep the closure under tension. Au example or such spring roller construction is shown in greater detail in the larger scale vligure Fig. 10, it being` understood that the section oi this figure so i'ar as it appliesto the roller may be considered as a section at an appropriate portion ot one of the rollers 19 in Fig. l.

I prefer to provide casiugs 32 tor each ot the rollers, these casings being preferably of metal and fitted to constitute dust-proof and insect-proof inclosures lior their respective regions, completing the insect-excluding 'function oit the clamping members so that the entire panelV will be .insect-proof, this being an important .and novel feature of this invention..

Ite't'erring'to the modification illustrated in Figure 3, a single closure member 3S of flexible tez-:tile fabric is shown wound upon a roller el() at the top of a Wooden window iframe 4:1 within which are arranged clamping members 25 for engagement with the lateral margins of the closure member 38, these clamping members being similarin general arrangcn'ient and function to those already described, being actuated by camlevers 2G identical in structure with those described, but mounted on screws 27 ente-rino; the woodwork oit the window frame.

The clanmingl members are shown as extending the entire length of the window trame, in the instance illustrated and two sets olf the cam-levers 26 are shown on each side oi the frame, it being understood that there may be any desired number and that the length of the clamping members may bc determined by the requirements ci" any given installation.

As shown in the illustration, I prefer to provide this type o'l window with metal strips 35 between the clamping members 2 and the wooden strips 32k so as `to al'lord a metallic base tor the clamping action, and these base strips may be conveniently Ytermed as shown in Figures 5, (5, and 8 where they are illustrated as L-shaped in cross section, and translixed by the screws 27, or other independent screws may be provided to hold these base strips in place.

Figure 6 illustrates the clamping member 25 as having a suitable trietionstrip at l5 and the base member is provided with av the aforesaid separation, and if there are no friction-strips, the offset portion I8 serves as a itulcrum about which the member 25r may have a slight resilient play under the action oi the cam-lever 26, and will spring back when released. Y

Il desired leaf-springs i9 may be interposed between the members 35 and 25tending normally to separate these members when not constrained by the cam-levers.

In Figures 21, 4t, and 7 I have shown this window appliance as havingl its roller et() inclosed by a casing comprising telescopic members 50 and l, so that the dustproot and insect-prooi character of the casing can be maintained even where the casing is not eut to lit the exact width of the window frame, and furthermore by keeping in stock telescoping casings of this character which correspond within an inch or so to the standard size of windows, it possible to furnish a casing which can be fitted to any size of window without the necessity 'for any alteration of the casing in field work.

In the installation illustra-ted, the ixtures 52 are shown as inclosedcby the casing niembers beine' secured aoainst the base members 7 C L? 35, which are extended to the top of the which the casing 51 is fitted. The clampingmembers `25 may have similar insect-proof flanges 53.

The window illustrated in this connection is a easement window, the sash 54 swinging away from the closure, as illustrated, and the closure is provided with a cross bar 55 by which .it may be readily drawn down against the sill.

1n ,Figures 9-13, inclusive, l. have illustrated an installation in connection with a sliding sashwindow of conventional construction, and in this installation the flexible closure is wound upon a spring roller 6l near the sill 62, and between the uprights 68 of the window frame. The spring of said roller is shown at 61. The roller spindles 64 and 65 are set in roller brackets 66 and 67 carried by bracket cases 68 and 69 which are mounted, as by rivets 70, (see Figure 13) upon vertical metal members 71 and 72, L-shaped in cross section, and which serve respectively as the base for the clamping members 73 and 74, the latter being also L-shaped in cross section, the lateral margins of the flexible closure 60 being clamped between the neighboring portions of the members 71 and 73 and the members 72 and 74. The members 7l and 72 are secured to the window frame by screws 75, and the clamping members 73 and 74 are actuated by levers 76 having cam portions 77 similar to those already described, each of these levers deriving its fulcrum from a post 78 which transfixes the cam lever 76 as indicated in Figure 12, which shows the post 78 as passing through the clamping members 73 and 71, being riveted into the latter at 79.

Cotter pins 8O are provided, as shown in Figure lt), to secure the cam levers removably upon the posts 78, and these serve also `to hohl the flanges 81 of the clamping members 73 and 74 firmly in position. I prefer to form the offset bend 82 between the flanges 8l and the clamping portions of the clamping members 73 and 74 respectively, so that the clamping portions 73 and 74 tend normally to spring away from the members 71 and 72, until constrained by the action of the cams 77. This permits the flexible closure 60 to be adjusted with greater freedom, as its lateral margins can move up and down freely between the cooperating members 71 and 7 3 and the eo-operating members 72 and 74, respectively. These members are preferably beaded as shown at 83 in Figure 1 2,

both for the sake of strength and to avoid injury `from sharp edges.

For a similar purpose the delivery end of the clamping members preferably flares outwardly as shown at 84.

The bracket cases 68 and 69 are provided with upper and lower flanges 85, to receive and co-operate with a casing 86, U-shaped in 'cross section and having slides 87 secured by set-screws 88 worliiilg in slots 89, and which can be adjusted to lit windows differ-- ing somewhat inwidth, the flanges having lips 90 to co-operate with the slides 87. This carries out an important feature of my invention, which is to enable a series of sizes of the appliance to be carried in stock and aiflusted to standard sii/.es of windows without the necessity for altering the appliance on the job, or using tools otl n.' than `those readily found in any household, and the in sect-proof character of the closure also served by the provision of these Ytelescopic slides. l

I prefer to form the roller sockets 66 and 67 integrally with the bracket parts 68 and 6l) respectively, the socket 66 being formed. with a round hole 91, to receive Athe round roller spindle 64, and the socket 67 being formed with a slot 92jto receive the flat spindle of the roller.

Such spindles characterize conventional rollers of the spring actuated type shown iu Figs. lO, l1, and 18 in detail, and which l prefer to utilize throughout the different embodiments of my invention selected for illustration, their operation and iiistallation being well understood iin the art, and not requiring special description. Ordinarily they may be used Vto advantage without the `catch usually provided on shade rollers,

inasmuch as the marginal clamps held the flexible closure in any desired position, inaking possible a more exact adjustment than can be secured by roller catches, and avoiding the bitching movements which are characteristic of catch-operated shade rollers.

".o facilitate the easy and steady operation of a rolling screen having only a spring roller at the bottom, as shown in Figs. 9 and 1t), l prefer also to providethe Vfleiiil ile closure 60 'with a binding of suitable material, such as the metallic strip shown at 93, which has slots 94 that may be engaged with projections 95 upon sash hooks or finger holds 96 of special shape secured in place on the sash 97 by screws 98. lVhcn thus equipped, the act of raising the sash serves to draw the closure 60 upward with it automatically so that the insect-proof character of the clo sure is imiintaineiil at all times, regardless of the extent to which the sash is raised.

The spring roller maintains the closure under tension, keeping it flat and smooth, and winds it up automatically when the sash is lowered.

there two such rollers are provider-l, as at 19 in Fig. 1, they operatein balanced -relation to keep the closure under tension, and render its movements easy.

Having illustrated and described my invention thus fully, and suitable means by which the same may be carried into effec-t, I Wish it to be 'understood that I do not limit myself to the materials or details of structure selected for illustration and description, nor in general do I limit myself otherwise than as set forth in the claims read in connection with this specification.

What I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent, s:-

l. A structure of the class described comprising a pluralit-y of extended frame members adapted to be mounted in spaced relation, and having means to support rotatably therebetween a roller provided with a flexible closure for the .framed space, separately formed, removable marginal clamping means comprising members mounted tiltably in parallelism with said iframe members, and adapted to secure said closure to said frame members, means to tilt said clamping members operatively, a cover member to enclose said roller, and means to support said cover member upon said frame men'lbers.

2. A structure of the class described comprising a plurality of frame members adapted. to be mounted in spaced relation, and having means to support a. roller journalled therebetween and provided with a flexible closure for the framed space, marginal clamping means to secure said closure to said frame members, a cover member' to enclose said roller, means to support said cover member upon said frame members, and means to conform said cover member interchangeably to different spacings of said frame members, said means including a slide movable lengthwise upon said cover member.

3. A structure of the class described comprising a plurality of frame members adapted to be mounted in spaced relation, and having means to support a roller journalled therebetween and provided with a flexible closure for the framed space, marginal clamping means to secure said closure to said frame members, a cover member to enclose said roller, means to support said cover member upon said frame members, and means to conform said cover member interchangeably to different spacings of said frame members, said means including a slide movable lengthwise upon said cover' member, said slides interlocking respectively with said frame members to hold said cover in place.

l. A clamping device for structural elements of the class described7 comprising a frame strip provided with a post, a clamping strip apertured to fit upon said post in position to embrace and cla-mp a flexible closure member in co-operation with said frame strip, and an operating lever secured removvsaid strips in assembled relation to embrace and clamp a flexible closure member, an operatilng device to cause said clamping action, and means to cause separation of said clamping strip and frame strip when released by.

said operating device.

6. A structure of the class described comprisinga plurality of L-shaped metal frame members adapted to be mounted in spaced relation at each side of a roller journalled therebetween and provided with a flexible closure for the framed space, and separately formed L-shaped metal strips adapted to clamp the margins of said closure to said frame members, and an operating device for each of said clamping. members, said clamping members being of resilient construction to cause clearance thereof from said closure when said operating devices are released.

7. i-Lstruetural element comprising an apertured framework, a flexible closure for the apertured portion of said framework, and a plurality of spring rollers upon which said closure may be wound, alternately, said rollers being mounted in fixed position respectively upon said framework in balanced relation, with said closure maintained under tension therebetween.

8. A structure comprising a framework, and a plurality of flexible closures constituting the wall of said structure, said closures being each formed partly of Ventilating andy partly of weather-excluding material and spring rollers in balanced relation upon which said closures are wound under tension therebetween. Y

9. A structure comprising a framework, and a plurality of flexible closures constituting the wall of said structure, said closures being each formed 'partly of Ventilating and partly of kweather-eXcluding material and spring rollers in balanced relation Vupon which said closures are wound, under tension therebetween, and means to clamp said closures to said framework along their lateral margins.

Signed at New York, in the county of New York and State of New York this 25th day ofApril, 1924.

JOHN P. HICKEY. 

